My parents taught me gratitude by their daily examples. I'm grateful for so many things--the smile of our son or the crackle on the top of a giant ginger cookie. I hope to share that gratitude with you year round as you visit me here at Halland (Hall Land) House Gifts.

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Homespun Gathering

Sunday, October 16, 2016

Fall Break

I Can See Clearly Now

Fall Break has been a wonderful break from the full on focus since school started. With nothing planned I decided to make an appt. with my former eye doctor at Sam's. I didn't want to go anywhere else, but we were trying to work with the eye insurance we get with my husband's work. The other insurance is pretty good, but the eye insurance options are few because of the size of the company my husband works for. Onward and upward . . . we are back to our favorite doctor. We are extremely happy with the level of care we are getting.

Here is the fabulous part. I have been held hostage by readers the last couple of years. I thought I was just in the part of life where I was growing into an unwanted need for bifocals. Turns out my nearsightedness was getting better in the last two years, but my prescription wasn't changing. I had just gotten a couple of different pairs of reader sunglasses I loved. Being able to read your RunKeeper app is important on the trail as is cross stitching or reading car gauges on a sunny day.

(Enter appointment with correct Rx contacts)

Driving Home

Oh, dear, why are the gauges all fuzzy through the bifocal? Weird. I was on my computer after the appt. for about 10 minutes when I realized I was reading the screen without readers. Before this was impossible. {insert Hallelujah Chorus} The day after my appointment I knew I'd need new readers to stitch, so off to the Dollar Tree I went. I purchased a selection of powers. My doctor gave me the reader Rx when I went back in for the dilation Wednesday. I had told her about my shopping trip so I could stitch again. I had forgotten she's a stitcher too, so she gets it. Y'all it just keeps getting better and better.

Yesterday, my husband and son had their appointments, and I can say without reservation we are extremely happy to be home with our trusted doctor of preference.

Baking Bread

Yes, that's right. The cooler weather has me craving the baking process again. My body gets really cranky when I eat it, but I have decided this little tidbit shouldn't stop me from enjoying a fun hobby. My son has been thrilled with bread he hasn't had to fight me for, and I'm excited to be baking bread again and learning from the process. The only sense I'm not using in the baking process is my sense of taste.

French Ciabatta Bread

the tighter crumb of this French Ciabatta

This no knead multi grain bread from Jenny Can Cook turned out wonderfully. I have a dutch oven with a heat proof knob, but it can still be made with a couple of metal pans and binder clips. A simple search of YouTube will provide better directions. I'm pulling this one from the freezer tomorrow morning for Sunday School tomorrow. Sorry, son.

This is how I usually eat--fresh whole foods prepared by me. I love colorful vegetables and a couple nights ago I sauteed them in my grandmother's cast iron pan. This pan was brought as a gift (set of three) when one of my Grandfather's WWI (not a typo) buddies came to visit him in the early 1960s. Mom inherited the set when my grandmother died, and now the largest pan blesses our home.

Speedy Delivery

This month I decided to put a few things in the Amazon.com cart. I don't just begin Autumnal Nesting as Fall arrives. As soon as cooler weather sets in I begin to crave miso soup. This shiro miso was a flavor I came to absolutely adore during our three year Army tour in Japan in the late 1990s. Now I can add it to many recipes to get my fix. A little goes a long way, so this will last a while in my fridge--that and the salt content.

Our son is in his junior year of high school and I'm beginning to prepare him for going off into the world without starving. I thought this cookbook would be a good one to start with. A single man would do better to know how confidently to cook dishes for two than dishes big enough to feed a family. Not only does the recipe book come with pictures, but it tells why each recipe works. This is right up my son's alley. He loves that sort of knowlegey stuff. I may not feel like letting this one go when he's ready to leave. Fortunately, ATK recipe books aren't hard to replace. I'll buy you a new one if you want it, son.

I may have already mentioned before that my mom's mind is going as she is getting older. It's time to start having her tell family stories and giving the rich history of the the family treasures. My iPhone's microphone isn't the best for this, so here is my solution. It even came with a little "coat" to cancel any wind noise that might occur if we are outside. So far I'm loving it.

Run, Judy, Run!

Well, I suppose you can walk if you have to.

It was time for the annual Go Commando (no, not that kind) 5K and Half Marathon. The route and parking were new this year and both were needed and wonderful changes. There was finally enough parking and the route was wide enough to run without feelings of claustrophobia.

It seems I can't stop using the word "run". This year I actually walked it. I haven't done the work to get strong enough to run again since my knees quit on me in June. I put too many miles on me too quickly.

Do you see the Three Amigos below. We are crossing the finish line together. The guy in the middle was my inspiration for the race this morning. I pick someone I think I can run with (secret spy like) during every race. Our quick walking pace was pretty close, so before getting to the finish line I looped back around, thanked him for being my encouragement today, and asked him if I could cross the finish line with him. He graciously agreed. I don't know the lady on his other side, but I'm pretty sure she didn't know either of us. The camaraderie at a these races is amazing. We all just want to have a good time whether we are walking or running.

having a great time

My Iowa husband was practically giddy when he found out there was going to be Corn Hole at the race.

The warmer temperatures this years meant I wasn't bundled up in a running jacket and gloves.

About Me

I come from many generations of women who gracefully and artfully created with needles. The surviving quilts they have sewn and other fabric arts are in my blood. I began counted cross stitching over thirty five years ago and have recently begun the process of quilting just like so many in my family. I live with my husband of 22 years, teenage son, beautiful cat Abigail and sweet German Shepherd here in our cozy Cape Cod in Tennessee.

About Me

I come from many generations of women who gracefully and artfully created with needles. The surviving quilts they have sewn and other fabric arts are in my blood. I began counted cross stitching over thirty five years ago and have recently begun the process of quilting just like so many in my family. I live with my husband of 22 years, teenage son, beautiful cat Abigail and sweet German Shepherd here in our cozy Cape Cod in Tennessee.